Reliable wireless communication with a source using relayed communication

ABSTRACT

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media for reliable communication between a source device, and two or more sink devices. In one aspect, a sink device closest in proximity to the source device can establish a wireless data transfer with the source device. In another aspect, the sink device having the more favorable radio channel conditions can establish a wireless data transfer with the source device. In some aspects, the sink devices can forward audio data received from the source device over a secondary communication link. The audio data can be forwarded to the other sink device automatically, or upon request from the other sink device. The secondary communication link can be implemented as a magnetic communication link, or as a Bluetooth communication link.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to communications between electronicdevices, and more particularly to reliable wireless communicationbetween electronic devices.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Advances in electronic technology have reduced the cost of increasinglycomplex and useful wireless communication devices. Cost reduction andconsumer demand have proliferated the use of wireless communicationdevices such that they are practically ubiquitous in modern society. Asthe use of wireless communication devices has expanded, so has thedemand for new and improved features of wireless communication devices.More specifically, wireless communication devices that perform newfunctions, or that perform functions faster, more efficiently or morereliably are often sought after.

A wireless communication device may make use of one or more wirelesscommunication technologies. For example, a wireless communication devicemay communicate using Bluetooth technology. A Bluetooth-enabled devicemay send and receive audio data to other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Forexample, a smartphone may send and receive one or more audio streams toa pair of Bluetooth stereo earbuds (i.e., no wire between the ears). AsBluetooth stereo earbuds, and their associated antennas, decrease insize, the reliability of the audio stream may suffer. As Bluetoothstereo earbuds increase in popularity, it is desirable to improve thereliability of the audio stream while allowing for smaller earbuddesigns.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have severalinnovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for thedesirable attributes disclosed herein.

One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosurecan be implemented in a method of communication between a source deviceand a plurality of sink devices. The method includes establishing awireless data transfer between the source device and a first sinkdevice, where the first sink device is dynamically selected from theplurality of sink devices; receiving, at the first sink device, audiodata from the source device, where the audio data includes first dataintended for the first sink device, and second data intended for asecond sink device; and sending, from the first sink device, the seconddata to the second sink device.

In some implementations, sending the second data to the second sinkdevice occurs over a magnetic communication link. In someimplementations, the magnetic communication link is one of a nearultra-low energy field (NULEF) communication link or near field magneticinduction (NFMI) communication link. In some other implementations,sending the second data to the second sink device occurs over aBluetooth communication link.

In some implementations, sending the second data to the second sinkdevice occurs automatically. In some other implementations, sending thesecond data to the second sink device is in response to a request fromthe second sink device.

In some implementations, dynamically selecting the first sink devicefrom the plurality of sink devices includes determining that the firstsink device is more proximate to the source device than the second sinkdevice. In some other implementations, dynamically selecting the firstsink device from the plurality of sink devices includes determining thatradio channel conditions between the source device and the first sinkdevice are more favorable than other radio channel conditions betweenthe source device and the second sink device.

In some implementations, while the first sink device receives the audiodata from the source device, the second sink device passively listens inon the wireless data transfer between the source device and the firstsink device.

In some implementations, the method further includes establishing awireless data transfer between the second sink device and the sourcedevice; receiving, at the second sink device, the audio data from thesource device, where the audio data includes the first data intended forthe first sink device, and the second data intended for the second sinkdevice; and sending, from the second sink device, the first data to thefirst sink device. In some implementations, while the second sink devicereceives the audio data from the source device, the first sink devicepassively listens in on the wireless data transfer between the sourcedevice and the second sink device.

In some implementations, the source device is one of a smartphone, amobile device, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a wearable device, anInternet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device,an IoT hub, or an IoE hub. In some implementations, the first sinkdevice and the second sink device are earbuds.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisdisclosure can be implemented in a first sink device, of a plurality ofsink devices, in wireless communication with a source device. The firstsink device includes a processor, and a memory in electroniccommunication with the processor. The first sink device includesinstructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by theprocessor, to cause the first sink device to establish a wireless datatransfer session with the source device, where the first sink device isdynamically selected from the plurality of sink devices; receive audiodata from the source device, where the audio data includes first dataintended for the first sink device, and second data intended for asecond sink device of the plurality of sink devices; and send the seconddata to the second sink device.

In some implementations, sending the second data to the second sinkdevice occurs over a magnetic communication link. In someimplementations, the magnetic communication link is one of a nearultra-low energy field (NULEF) communication link or near field magneticinduction (NFMI) communication link. In some other implementations,sending the second data to the second sink device occurs over aBluetooth communication link.

In some implementations, sending the second data to the second sinkdevice occurs automatically. In some other implementations, sending thesecond data to the second sink device is in response to a request fromthe second sink device.

In some implementations, dynamically selecting the first sink devicefrom the plurality of sink devices includes determining that the firstsink device is more proximate to the source device than the second sinkdevice. In some other implementations, dynamically selecting the firstsink device from the plurality of sink devices includes determining thatradio channel conditions between the source device and the first sinkdevice are more favorable than other radio channel conditions betweenthe source device and the second sink device.

In some implementations, while the first sink device receives the audiodata from the source device, the second sink device passively listens inon the wireless data transfer between the source device and the firstsink device.

In some implementations, the first sink device can monitor a wirelessdata transfer session between the second sink device and the sourcedevice, where the audio data including the first data intended for thefirst sink device, and the second data intended for the second sinkdevice, is received by the second sink device; and receive the firstdata from the second sink device. In some implementations, the firstsink device receives the first data from the second sink device over oneof a magnetic communication link, or a Bluetooth communication link.

Additionally, the first sink device can be implemented to perform any ofthe aspects of the innovative method described above.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisdisclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readablemedium including processor-executable program code configured to cause aprocessor of a first sink device to establish a wireless data transferbetween a source device and the first sink device, where the first sinkdevice is dynamically selected from a plurality of sink devices; receiveaudio data from the source device, where the audio data includes firstdata intended for the first sink device, and second data intended for asecond sink device; and send the second data to the second sink device.

In some implementations, sending the second data to the second sinkdevice occurs over a magnetic communication link. In someimplementations, the magnetic communication link is one of a nearultra-low energy field (NULEF) communication link or near field magneticinduction (NFMI) communication link. In some other implementations,sending the second data to the second sink device occurs over aBluetooth communication link.

In some implementations, sending the second data to the second sinkdevice occurs automatically. In some other implementations, sending thesecond data to the second sink device is in response to a request fromthe second sink device.

In some implementations, the processor is further capable of executingprocessor-executable program code to cause the first sink device tomonitor a wireless data transfer session between the second sink deviceand the source device, where the audio data including the first dataintended for the first sink device, and the second data intended for thesecond sink device, is received by the second sink device; and receivethe first data from the second sink device.

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter describedin this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will becomeapparent from the description, the drawings and the claims. Note thatthe relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn toscale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts an example of a user experiencing cross-bodyinterference using first generation true wireless Bluetooth stereoearbuds.

FIG. 1B depicts an example of a user experiencing cross-bodyinterference using second generation true wireless Bluetooth stereoearbuds.

FIG. 2A shows an example topology of a source device communicating withtwo sink devices.

FIG. 2B shows an example topology of a source device communicating witha first sink device.

FIG. 2C shows an example topology of a source device communicating witha second sink device.

FIG. 2D shows another example topology of a source device communicatingwith a first sink device.

FIG. 3A shows an example topology of a source device communicating withtwo sink devices.

FIG. 3B shows an example topology of a source device communicating witha first sink device.

FIG. 3C shows an example topology of a source device communicating witha second sink device.

FIG. 4A shows an example topology of a source device communicating withtwo sink devices.

FIG. 4B shows an example topology of a source device communicating witha first sink device.

FIG. 4C shows an example topology of a source device communicating witha second sink device.

FIG. 5 shows an example method for communication between a sourcedevice, a first sink device and a second sink device.

FIG. 6 shows an example source device.

FIG. 7 shows example components that may be included within a sinkdevice.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is directed to certain implementations for thepurposes of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure.However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readilyrecognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude ofdifferent ways. Some of the examples in this disclosure are based onwireless and wired local area network (LAN) communication according tothe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11wireless standards, the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards, and the IEEE 1901Powerline communication (PLC) standards. However, the describedimplementations may be implemented in any device, system or network thatis capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to any ofthe wireless communication standards, including any of the IEEE 802.11standards, the IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth® standards, Bluetooth low energy(BLE), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multipleaccess (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System forMobile communications (GSM), GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA),Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1×EV-DO, EV-DORev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed DownlinkPacket Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), EvolvedHigh Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS, orother known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless,cellular or internet of things (IOT) network, such as a system utilizing3G, 4G or 5G, or further implementations thereof, technology.

The techniques described herein relate to devices methods, systems, andapparatuses supporting wireless communication between an electronicsource device and one or more electronic sink devices. As describedherein, the electronic source device can be implemented in a widevariety of designs, having varying degrees of form factors andfunctionalities, all of which including the ability to transmit andreceive data, including audio data, wirelessly. The electronic sinkdevices also can be implemented in a wide variety of designs, andincluding the ability to transmit and receive data wirelessly. In onesuch implementation, the electronic source device is a smartphone, andthe electronic sync devices are Bluetooth-enabled wireless earbuds. Inparticular, the earbuds can be implemented as Bluetooth-enabled truewireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, where the earbuds can communicatewirelessly with one another, and with the electronic source device.

In first generation TWS earbud designs, the smartphone is preconfiguredto connect to one particular earbud of the pair, often known as themaster device, while the other earbud is known as the slave device. Inthis first generation TWS topology, the master device earbud establishesa connection, or data transfer, with the smartphone, and relays audiodata to the slave device earbud. In second generation TWS earbuddesigns, the smartphone is configured to connect separately with each ofthe earbuds.

TWS earbuds of both generations sometimes struggle to receive, andmaintain, a reliable audio stream from the smartphone. This problem isexacerbated as Bluetooth-related radios and antennas decrease in size tomeet consumer demands for smaller form factors in such devices.Additionally, TWS earbud designs sometimes suffer with the so-called“cross-body problem” when the smartphone is placed across, or on theopposite side, of a user's body causing attenuation on the radio link.Combined together, the cross-body attenuation and small antenna size maycause the communication link to drop, or break altogether. Thetechniques described herein may improve upon these problems by providinga novel mechanism for more reliable audio data streams.

According to the disclosed techniques, the earbud closest in proximityto the smartphone can be implemented to establish a wireless datatransfer with the smartphone. A wireless data transfer can include awireless connection from the smartphone to the earbud over a connectionlink or communication link, and also can include a connectionlesstransfer, such as a broadcast sent from the smartphone. Throughout thedisclosure, descriptions related to a wireless connection, or aconnectionless broadcast, include data transfers using wirelesscommunication technology. In some implementations, the earbud with theclearest radio channel conditions can establish a wireless data transferwith the smartphone. Determining which earbud has the clearest wirelessconnection, or more favorable radio communication conditions, can beevaluated based on the earbud having the strongest Received SignalStrength Indication (RSSI) characteristic, receipt of protocolacknowledgements, or the least amount of interference (such as bydetermining which earbud has the fewest cyclic redundancy check (CRC)errors), or least amount of attenuation measured between the smartphoneand the earbud. Upon establishing the wireless data transfer with thepreferred, or first, earbud the smartphone can commence transmittingaudio data. The audio data can include stereo audio data, such as leftand right channel data. At other times, the audio data might includeaudio received from a phone call, or the voice of a virtual assistantsuch as Alexa®, Ski® or Cortana®, for example. In some implementations,for comfort, such mono voice data streams can be sent to both earbuds,i.e., placed somewhere in the stereo transmission. In someBluetooth-compatible implementations, the stereo audio data can bebroadcast such that it can be received by both earbuds under good radioconditions and by at least one earbud under poor radio conditions. Insome second generation implementations, the second earbud can beconfigured to monitor, or sniff, the wireless data transfer with thefirst earbud, and to extract the stereo audio data intended for thesecond earbud.

Additionally, the disclosed techniques describe a mechanism whereby theearbuds exchange audio data between one another. In particular, a firstearbud can be implemented to relay audio data to a second earbud. Insome implementations, the first earbud can relay the audio data to thesecond earbud automatically. In some other implementations, the firstearbud can relay the audio data to the second earbud upon receiving arequest to relay the audio data from the second earbud. The secondearbud also can be implemented to relay audio data to the first earbud,either automatically, or after receiving a request from the firstearbud. In some implementations, the audio data can be relayed betweenthe first and second earbuds using a magnetic communication link betweenthe devices. In some other implementations, the audio data can berelayed between the first and second earbuds using a Bluetooth secondarycommunication link between the devices.

Particular implementations of the subject matter described in thisdisclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the followingpotential advantages. The ability to dynamically select and connect tothe most proximate earbud is advantageous over known designs whichpredesignate a particular earbud as the master device. Additionally, theability to dynamically select and connect to the earbud with thefavorable radio channel conditions is another marked advantage overknown preconfigured wireless connection solutions. Exchanging audio databetween the earbuds over a magnetic communication link may reduce theoverall power consumption of the earbuds, thus prolonging battery life.Moreover, exchanging audio data over a magnetic communication link,which is less prone to interference or disruption over relatively smalldistances, particularly when passing through body tissues, may result inmore reliable audio communication. Also, using magnetic communicationlinks for ear-to-ear communication also may simplify the antenna designof the Bluetooth antenna, which can then be solely concerned withcommunicating with the electronic audio source device. Finally,exchanging audio data between the earbuds over a Bluetooth secondarycommunication link may enable cheaper designs, as only a singleBluetooth radio and antenna is required for each of the earbuds.Overall, this may lead to a more robust system whereby the smartphone orother electronic audio source device can be placed in a wider range oflocations, such as inside pockets, or at either any side of the body,whilst still maintaining a reliable audio connection.

FIG. 1A depicts an example of a user experiencing cross-bodyinterference 100 a using first generation true wireless Bluetooth stereoearbuds. The user 101 a is operating a source device, such as anelectronic device 102 a capable of wireless communication. Theelectronic device 102 a is communicating with one or more sink devices,such as earbuds 112 a, 114 a. In this depicted first generation truewireless Bluetooth stereo earbuds example, the electronic device 102 aestablishes a wireless data transfer 111 with the earbud 114 a. Theearbud 114 a then establishes a connection link 110 with the earbud 112a, and can begin relaying an audio data stream to the earbud 112 a. Whenthe user 101 a moves the electronic device 102 a to the left side of hisbody away from the earbud 114 a, such as moving the electronic device102 a into his clothing pocket, the wireless data transfer 111 to theearbud 114 a may be attenuated, or even broken, due to the user's 101 abody causing cross-body interference with the wireless data transfer111.

FIG. 1B depicts an example of a user experiencing cross-bodyinterference 100 b using second generation true wireless Bluetoothstereo earbuds. The user 101 b is operating a source device, such as anelectronic device 102 b capable of wireless communication. Theelectronic device 102 b is communicating with one or more sink devices,such as earbuds 112 b, 114 b. In this depicted second generation truewireless Bluetooth stereo earbuds example, the electronic device 102 aestablishes separate wireless data transfers with the earbuds 112 b and114 b, and can send and receive audio data streams over the left channelwireless connection 113 to the earbud 112 b and over the right channelwireless connection 115 to the earbud 114 b, respectively. When the user101 b moves the electronic device 102 b to the left side of his bodyaway from the earbud 114 b, such as moving the electronic device 102 binto his clothing pocket, the wireless connection 113 with the earbud112 b may remain in force, while the wireless connection 115 with theearbud 114 b may be attenuated, or even broken, due to the user's 101 bbody causing cross-body interference with the wireless connection 115. Aperson having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that whenthe user 101 b moves the electronic device 102 b to the right side ofhis body, the wireless connection 115 with the earbud 114 b may remainin force, while the wireless connection 113 with the earbud 112 b may beattenuated, or even broken due to cross-body interference.

A source device, which can be implemented to originate and transmit datato one or more sink devices, also may be known as an electronic device.An electronic device also may be referred to as a smartphone, a mobiledevice, wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or asubscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the“device” also may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or aclient. The electronic device may be implemented as any computing deviceconfigured to receive, process and otherwise handle communications,including audio or visual or audio/visual (i.e., video), over acommunications network. The electronic device also may be a cellularphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or laptop computer,a tablet device, a personal computer, a gaming console, a virtual oraugmented reality device, a drone, an Internet of Things (IoT) device,or other electronic system. IoT devices also may be referred to as anInternet of Everything (IoE) device, an IoT hub, and IoE hub, or anyother physical device, vehicle, or home appliance that is embedded withelectronics and network connectivity, which enable these objects toconnect and exchange data. The IoT device also may be referred to as avirtual assistant device, such as Amazon Alexa®, Google Home®, etc., awearable device, such as smart watches, Google Glass®, etc., anin-vehicle entertainment or communication system, a home securitysystem, or any device having an interface, such as a network interface,to a communications network and suitable input and output devices.Wearable devices also may be referred to as wearable technology,wearable gadgets, wearables, or some other suitable terminology, whichgenerally describes electronics and software-based technology that isworn on the body, either as an accessory, or as part of material used inclothing.

A sink device, or destination device, can be implemented to receive dataover a communications medium from one or more source devices. Electronicdevices, as described above, also can be implemented as sink devices. Inaddition, wearable devices, including earbuds, such as Apple AirPods®,Bose SoundSport®, Philips True Wireless®, Samsung Gear®, as well aswireless headphones can be implemented as sink devices.

The wireless connections 110, 111, 113 and 115, or otherwise known aswireless data transfers, can occur over any suitable communicationnetwork that enables devices to communicate with one another over acommunication medium. Examples of protocols that can be used to formcommunication networks can include, near-field communication (NFC)technology, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, Bluetooth,Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, or Wi-Fi (i.e., Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11) technology, theInternet Protocol (“IP”), Transmission Control Protocol (“TCP”), UserDatagram Protocol (“UDP”), device-to-device (D2D) protocols, long-termevolution direct (LTE-D), narrow band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), LTEcategory M (LTE CAT-M), Vehicle to X (V2X), or other such types ofprotocols described throughout this disclosure. The smartphones 102 aand 102 b can be implemented to communicate directly or indirectly withthe earbuds 112 a, 114 a, and 112 b, 114 b, respectively, usingcommunication protocols provided by one or more of these examplecommunication networks. For example, the smartphone 102 a cancommunicate with the earbud 114 a over Bluetooth. Additionally, theearbuds 112 a, 114 a and 112 b, 114 b can be implemented to communicatewith each other using communication protocols provided by one or more ofthese example communication networks. For example, the earbud 114 a cancommunicate with the earbud 112 a using Bluetooth master and slavetopology.

FIG. 2A shows an example topology 200 a of a source device communicatingwith two sink devices. The source device, or electronic device 202 a canbe implemented to communicate wirelessly with two sink devices, or twoearbuds 212 a, 214 a. In some implementations, the electronic device 202a can broadcast an audio data stream to be received by the earbuds 212a, 214 a. The broadcasted audio data stream can include stereo audiodata for both the earbud 212 a and the earbud 214 a. The stereo audiodata can, for example, include left and right channel audio signalsintended for the respective earbuds 212 a, 214 a. The earbuds 212 a, 214a can be implemented to forward the stereo audio data intended for theother earbud to the other earbud. In some implementations, the stereoaudio data can be forwarded to the other earbud automatically, while insome other implementations, the stereo audio data can be forwarded uponreceiving a forward request from the other earbud. For example, uponreceiving the broadcasted stereo audio data for both earbud 212 a andearbud 214 a, the earbud 212 a will forward, or otherwise relay, thestereo audio data intended for earbud 214 a over a wirelesscommunication link 234 a. Similarly, upon receiving the broadcastedstereo audio data for both earbud 212 a and earbud 214 a, the earbud 214a will forward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended forearbud 212 a over a wireless communication link 232 a. This forwardingimplementation ensures that the earbuds 212 a, 214 a receive the stereoaudio data even if the broadcasted audio data stream is interrupted orbroken.

In some other implementations, the electronic device 202 a can transmitan audio data stream in two separate links to the earbuds 212 a, 214 a,over the communication links 222 a, 224 a, respectively. The transmittedaudio data stream can include stereo audio data for both earbud 212 aand earbud 214 a. The earbuds 212 a, 214 a can be implemented to forwardthe stereo audio data intended for the other earbud to the other earbud.In some implementations, the stereo audio data can be forwarded to theother earbud automatically, while in some other implementations, thestereo audio data can be forwarded upon receiving a forward request fromthe other earbud. For example, upon receiving the stereo audio data forboth earbud 212 a and earbud 214 a over the communication link 222 a,the earbud 212 a will forward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio dataintended for earbud 214 a over a wireless communication link 234 a.Similarly, upon receiving stereo audio data for both earbud 212 a andearbud 214 a over the communication link 224 a, the earbud 214 a willforward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for earbud212 a over a wireless communication link 232 a. This forwardingimplementation ensures that the earbuds 212 a, 214 a receive the stereoaudio data even if one of the communication links 222 a or 224 a isinterrupted or broken.

In some further implementations, the electronic device 202 a cantransmit a single audio data stream to either the earbud 212 a or theearbud 214 a, depending on the radio conditions associated with therespective communication links 222 a, 224 a, while the other earbud canbe implemented to passively listen to the transmitted audio data stream.For example, the electronic device 202 a can transmit an audio datastream including stereo audio data for both earbuds 212 a, 214 a overthe communication link 222 a to the earbud 212 a when the radioconditions over the communication link 222 a are more favorable than theradio conditions over the communication link 224 a to the earbud 214 a.Favorable conditions may be evaluated based on the strongest RSSIcharacteristic, the fewest CRC errors, receipt of protocolacknowledgements, lower interference, or less static or signalattenuation over the selected communications link. The earbud 214 a canbe implemented to passively listen, monitor, eavesdrop, or otherwise“sniff” the stereo audio data being transmitted over the communicationlink 222 a to the earbud 212 a. In such an implementation, the earbud214 a can obtain the stereo audio data intended for the earbud 214 aeven though the electronic device 202 a only transmitted the audio datastream to the earbud 212 a.

Conversely, the electronic device 202 a can transmit an audio datastream including stereo audio data for both earbuds 212 a, 214 a overthe communication link 224 a to the earbud 214 a when the radioconditions over the communication link 224 a are more favorable than theradio conditions over the communication link 222 a to the earbud 212 a.The earbud 212 a can be implemented to passively listen, monitor,eavesdrop, or otherwise sniff the stereo audio data being transmittedover the communication link 224 a to the earbud 214 a. In such animplementation, the earbud 212 a can obtain the stereo audio dataintended for the earbud 212 a even though the electronic device 202 aonly transmitted the audio data stream to the earbud 214 a.

A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize thatone sink device can sniff data from another sink's connection to thesource device by exchanging the following information between the twosinks: the 128-bit Bluetooth link key; the adaptive frequency hopping(AFH) pattern; and the timestamp when the hopping pattern repeats, andthen synchronizing its receiver with the hopping patterns of the othersink. Once synchronized, the link key can be loaded and the data streamcan be identified and decoded, including decoding the stereo codecstream to extract a left or right audio channel, as needed.

In implementations where one earbud is unable to sniff the audio datastream transmitted to the other earbud, the receiving earbud can beimplemented to forward the stereo audio data to the other earbud. Forexample, when the electronic device 202 a transmits stereo audio datafor both earbuds 212 a, 214 a over the communication link 222 a to theearbud 212 a, and the earbud 214 a is unable to passively listen,monitor, eavesdrop, or otherwise sniff the transmitted stereo audiodata, the earbud 212 a can be implemented to automatically forward, orotherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for the earbud 214 a tothe earbud 214 a. Alternatively, the earbud 212 a can be implemented toforward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for theearbud 214 a upon receiving a forwarding request from the earbud 214 a.A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize thatwith the roles reversed, the earbud 214 a can be implemented toautomatically forward, or forward upon a request from the earbud 212 a,the stereo data intended for the earbud 212 a.

FIG. 2B shows an example topology 200 b of a source device communicatingwith a sink device. The source device, or electronic device 202 b, canbe implemented to select the sink device associated with the morefavorable radio communication conditions, or that is closer in proximityto the electronic device 202 b. In the depicted example, thecommunication link 224 b between the electronic device 202 b and thesink device, the earbud 214 b, is blocked. The blocking may be due tointerference or other degradation of the communication link 224 b. Basedon the blocked communication link 224 b, the electronic device 202 b canbe implemented to connect with the other sink device, the earbud 212 b,over the more favorable communication link 222 b. In someimplementations, the electronic device 202 b, in combination with one orboth of the earbuds 212 b, 214 b, can be implemented to select the sinkdevice with the more favorable radio communication conditions, or thatis closer in proximity to the electronic device 202 b. The ability forthe electronic device 202 b to dynamically select and connect to a sinkdevice based on the radio conditions associated with each sink device isa marked advantage over known solutions, such as those where the sourcedevice is preconfigured or predetermined to connect with a particularsink, often known as the master sink. As described throughout, thephrase “based on” does not mean “based only on,” unless expresslyspecified otherwise. In other words, the phrase “based on” describesboth “based only on” and “based at least on.” Alternatively, the controlof which communication link 222 b, 224 b is selected or maintained maybe decided by one or more of the earbuds 212 b, 214 b. Whilst theelectronic device 202 b may try to connect to both earbuds 212 b, 214 b,it may not be able to, as the communication link 224 b may be blocked,or only the earbud 212 b accepts the connection.

In this depicted example, the electronic device 202 b is transmitting anaudio data stream including stereo audio data for both the earbuds 212b, 214 b over the communication link 222 b to the earbud 212 b. Similarto the description with respect to FIG. 2A, the earbud 212 b can beimplemented to process the stereo audio data intended for itself, and toforward the stereo audio data intended for the earbud 214 b over awireless communication link 234 b automatically upon receiving the audiodata stream from the electronic device 202 b.

FIG. 2C shows an example topology 200 c of a source device communicatingwith another sink device. Similar to the description with respect toFIG. 2B, the source device, or electronic device 202 c, can beimplemented to select the sink device associated with the more favorableradio communication conditions, or that is closer in proximity to theelectronic device 202 c. In the depicted example, the communication link222 c between the electronic device 202 c and the sink device, theearbud 212 c, is blocked. The blocking may be due to interference orother degradation of the communication link 222 c. Based on the blockedcommunication link 222 c, the electronic device 202 c can be implementedto connect with the other sink device, the earbud 214 c, over the morefavorable communication link 224 c. Similar to the description in FIG.2B, in some implementations, the electronic device 202 c, in combinationwith one or both of the earbuds 212 c, 214 c, can be implemented toselect the sink device with the more favorable radio communicationconditions, or that is closer in proximity to the electronic device 202c. Again, the ability for the electronic device 202 c to dynamicallyselect and connect to a sink device based on the radio conditionsassociated with each sink device is a marked advantage over knownsolutions, such as those where the source device is preconfigured orpredetermined to connect with a particular sink, often known as themaster sink. Alternatively, the control of which communication link 222c, 224 c is selected or maintained may be decided by one or more of theearbuds 212 c, 214 c. Whilst the electronic device 202 c may try toconnect to both earbuds 212 c, 214 c, it may not be able to, as thecommunication link 222 c may be blocked, or only the earbud 214 caccepts the connection.

In this depicted example, the electronic device 202 c is transmitting anaudio data stream including stereo audio data for both the earbuds 212c, 214 c over the communication link 224 c to the earbud 214 c. Similarto the descriptions with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the earbud 214 ccan be implemented to process the stereo audio data intended for itself,and to forward the stereo audio data intended for the earbud 212 c overa wireless communication link 232 c automatically upon receiving theaudio data stream from the electronic device 202 c.

FIG. 2D shows another example topology 200 d of a source devicecommunicating with a sink device. Similar to the descriptions withrespect to FIGS. 2B and 2C, the source device, or electronic device 202d, can be implemented to select the sink device associated with the morefavorable radio communication conditions, or that is closer in proximityto the electronic device 202 d. In the depicted example, thecommunication link 224 d between the electronic device 202 d and thesink device, the earbud 214 d, is blocked. The blocking may be due tointerference or other degradation of the communication link 224 d.Similar to the description in FIGS. 2B and 2C, in some implementations,the electronic device 202 d, in combination with one or both of theearbuds 212 d, 214 d, can be implemented to select the sink device withthe more favorable radio communication conditions, or that is closer inproximity to the electronic device 202 d. Based on the blockedcommunication link 224 d, the electronic device 202 d can be implementedto connect with the other sink device, the earbud 212 d, over the morefavorable communication link 222 d. Again, the ability for theelectronic device 202 d to dynamically select and connect to a sinkdevice based on the radio conditions associated with each sink device isa marked advantage over known solutions, such as those where the sourcedevice is preconfigured or predetermined to connect with a particularsink, often known as the master sink. Alternatively, the control ofwhich communication link 222 d, 224 d is selected or maintained may bedecided by one or more of the earbuds 212 d, 214 d. Whilst theelectronic device 202 d may try to connect to both earbuds 212 d, 214 d,it may not be able to, as the communication link 224 d may be blocked,or only the earbud 212 d accepts the connection.

In this depicted example, the electronic device 202 d is transmitting anaudio data stream including stereo audio data for both the earbuds 212d, 214 d over the communication link 222 d to the earbud 212 d.Different than the descriptions of FIGS. 2B and 2C, the earbud 212 d canbe implemented to process the stereo audio data intended for itself, andto forward the stereo audio data to the earbud 214 d over a wirelesscommunication link 234 d only upon receiving a forwarding request fromthe earbud 214 d over a wireless communication link 232 d. In such animplementation, power savings can be achieved, as the earbud 212 d isnot required to automatically forward, send, transmit, or otherwiserelay, the stereo audio data to the earbud 214 d, and instead onlyforwards the stereo audio data intended for the earbud 214 d uponrequest from the earbud 214 d. The power savings associated with thisimplementation may come at the expense of a time delay, given that theearbud 214 d is first requesting its respective stereo audio data fromthe earbud 212 d.

FIG. 3A shows an example topology 300 a of a source device communicatingwith two sink devices. The source device, or electronic device 302 a canbe implemented to communicate wirelessly with two sink devices, or twoearbuds 312 a, 314 a. In some implementations, the electronic device 302a can broadcast an audio data stream over Bluetooth to be received bythe earbuds 312 a, 314 a. The broadcasted audio data stream can includestereo audio data for both the earbud 312 a and the earbud 314 a. Thestereo audio data can, for example, include left and right channel audiosignals intended for the respective earbuds 312 a, 314 a. In a goodtransmission environment, the stereo audio data can be received by boththe earbuds 312 a, 314 a over the Bluetooth communication links 322 a,324 a, respectively.

If an interruption, or interference, occurs on either of the Bluetoothcommunication links 322 a, 324 a, the earbuds 312 a, 314 a can beimplemented to forward the intended stereo audio data to the otherearbud using a magnetic communication link, such as over a near-fieldcommunication (NFC), a near-field magnetic induction (NFMI), or a nearultra-low energy field (NULEF) communication link. Magneticcommunication links are generally not subject to attenuation from auser's head, body, or other obstruction, and are therefore more reliableover relatively short distances, such as one centimeter (cm) to fivemeters (m), or more particularly, like one cm to thirty cm for antennasizes compatible with earbuds. To transmit and receive data over amagnetic communication link, the earbuds 312 a, 314 a can be implementedto each include a magnetic communication link radio and antenna.

In some implementations, the stereo audio data can be forwarded over amagnetic communication link to the other earbud automatically. Forexample, upon receiving the broadcasted stereo audio data for bothearbud 312 a and earbud 314 a, the earbud 312 a can be implemented toforward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for earbud314 a over the magnetic communication link 334 a. Similarly, uponreceiving the broadcasted stereo audio data for both earbud 312 a andearbud 314 a, the earbud 314 a can be implemented to forward, orotherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for earbud 312 a overthe magnetic communication link 332 a. This forwarding implementationensures that the earbuds 312 a, 314 a receive the stereo audio data evenif the broadcasted audio data stream over the Bluetooth communicationlinks 322 a, 324 a is interrupted or broken.

In some other implementations, the stereo audio data can be forwardedover a magnetic communication link upon receiving a forwarding requestover a magnetic communication link from the other earbud. For example,upon receiving the broadcasted stereo audio data for both earbud 312 aand earbud 314 a, the earbud 312 a can be implemented to forward, orotherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for earbud 314 a overthe magnetic communication link 334 a only upon receiving a forwardingrequest from the earbud 314 a over the magnetic communication link 332a. Similarly, upon receiving the broadcasted stereo audio data for bothearbud 312 a and earbud 314 a, the earbud 314 a can be implemented toforward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for earbud312 a over the magnetic communication link 332 a only upon receiving aforwarding request from the earbud 312 a over the magnetic communicationlink 334 a.

In some other implementations, such as in a true wireless stereo (TWS)implementation, the electronic device 302 a can establish a separatedata transfer with each of the earbuds 312 a, 314 a. In such animplementation, the electronic device 302 a can connect with the earbuds312 a, 314 a over two separate Bluetooth communication links 322 a, 324a, respectively, where, for example, left channel audio data istransmitted to the earbud 312 a and right channel audio data istransmitted to the earbud 314 a. The earbuds 312 a, 314 a can beimplemented to establish a secondary connection amongst themselves overthe magnetic communication links 332 a, 334 a.

In anticipation of interruption or interference on the Bluetoothcommunication links 322 a, 324 a, or simply to know what data is beingsent to the earbud 314 a, the earbud 312 a can be implemented topassively listen in, monitor, eavesdrop, or otherwise sniff the rightchannel audio data being transmitted over the Bluetooth communicationlink 324 a to the earbud 314 a. The earbud 312 a can be implemented tosniff the right channel audio data upon gaining access to the link keyand hopping sequence associated with the Bluetooth communication link324 a. In some implementations, the earbud 312 a can receive the linkkey from the earbud 314 a upon establishing the magnetic communicationlink 332 a with the earbud 314 a. In some implementations, the earbud312 a also can receive the hopping sequence from the earbud 314 a uponestablishing the magnetic communication link 332 a with the earbud 314a. Since the link key and hopping sequence are exchanged between theearbuds 312 a, 314 a and without involving the electronic device 302 a,the earbuds as disclosed herein are compatible with legacy electronicdevices. In other words, the electronic device 302 a does not require ahardware, software or firmware update to utilize earbuds including theinnovative aspects as described in this disclosure.

In some TWS implementations, such as where one earbud is unable topassively listen in on the audio data stream transmitted to the otherearbud, the earbuds 312 a, 314 a can be implemented to automaticallyforward, or otherwise relay, received audio data to the other earbudover the magnetic communication links 332 a, 334 a. In some other TWSimplementations, again where one earbud is unable to passively listen inon the audio data stream transmitted to the other earbud, the earbuds312 a, 314 a can be implemented to forward, or otherwise relay, receivedaudio data to the other earbud upon request over the magneticcommunication links 332 a, 334 a.

FIG. 3B shows an example topology 300 b of a source device communicatingwith a first sink device. In the depicted example, the source device, orthe electronic device 302 b, is connected to the first sink device, orthe earbud 312 b, over the Bluetooth communication link 322 b. TheBluetooth communication link 324 b between the electronic device 302 band the second sink device, or the earbud 314 b, is blocked. Theblocking may be due to interference or other degradation of theBluetooth communication link 324 b. In some implementations, theblocking may prevent the earbud 314 b from passively listening in on theBluetooth communication link 322 b, and therefore the earbud 314 b maynot receive its intended right channel audio data from the electronicdevice 302 b.

In such implementations, the earbud 314 b can detect that the Bluetoothcommunication link 324 b is blocked. The earbud 314 b can be implementedto initiate a forwarding request over the magnetic communication link332 b to the earbud 312 b requesting the right channel audio dataintended for the earbud 314 b. Upon receipt of the forwarding request,the earbud 312 b can forward, or otherwise relay, the right channelaudio data intended for the earbud 314 b over the magnetic communicationlink 334 b. In this implementation, since the earbud 314 b itselfdetects the Bluetooth communication link 324 b blockage, and requestsits intended audio data using the magnetic communication link 332 b,neither the earbud 312 b, nor the electronic device 302 b need to changetheir configured behaviors. In other words, the electronic device 302 bdoes not require a hardware, software or firmware update to operate withearbuds including the innovative magnetic communication aspects asdescribed in this disclosure.

In other such implementations, the earbud 312 b can passively listen inon the attempted connection between the electronic device 302 b and theearbud 314 b, and detect that the Bluetooth communication link 324 b isblocked. The earbud 312 b can be implemented to monitor, eavesdrop, orotherwise sniff the right channel audio data intended for the earbud 314b. The earbud 312 b also can be implemented to automatically forward theright channel audio data intended for the earbud 314 b over the magneticcommunication link 334 b.

In either implementation, the earbud 314 b can obtain the intended audiodata, as well as control data, via the secondary connection over themagnetic communication link 334 b, despite the Bluetooth communicationlink 324 b being unavailable.

FIG. 3C shows an example topology 300 c of a source device communicatingwith a second sink device. In the depicted example, the source device,or the electronic device 302 c, is connected to the second sink device,or the earbud 314 c, over the Bluetooth communication link 324 c. TheBluetooth communication link 322 c between the electronic device 302 cand the first sink device, or the earbud 312 c, is blocked. The blockingmay be due to interference or other degradation of the Bluetoothcommunication link 322 c. In some implementations, the blocking mayprevent the earbud 312 c from passively listening in on the Bluetoothcommunication link 324 c, and therefore the earbud 312 c may not receiveits intended left channel audio data from the electronic device 302 c.

In such implementations, the earbud 312 c can detect that the Bluetoothcommunication link 322 c is blocked. The earbud 312 c can be implementedto initiate a forwarding request over the magnetic communication link334 c to the earbud 314 c requesting the left channel audio dataintended for the earbud 312 c. Upon receipt of the forwarding request,the earbud 314 c can forward, or otherwise relay, the left channel audiodata intended for the earbud 312 c over the magnetic communication link332 c. In this implementation, since the earbud 312 c itself detects theBluetooth communication link 322 c blockage, and requests its intendedaudio data using the magnetic communication link 334 c, neither theearbud 314 c, nor the electronic device 302 c need to change theirconfigured behaviors. In other words, the electronic device 302 c doesnot require a hardware, software or firmware update to operate withearbuds including the innovative magnetic communication aspects asdescribed in this disclosure.

In other such implementations, the earbud 314 c can passively listen inon the attempted connection between the electronic device 302 c and theearbud 312 c, and detect that the Bluetooth communication link 322 c isblocked. The earbud 314 c can be implemented to monitor, eavesdrop, orotherwise sniff the left channel audio data intended for the earbud 312c. The earbud 314 c also can be implemented to automatically forward theleft channel audio data intended for the earbud 312 c over the magneticcommunication link 332 c.

In either implementation, the earbud 312 c can obtain the intended audiodata, as well as control data, via the secondary connection over themagnetic communication link 332 c, despite the Bluetooth communicationlink 322 c being unavailable.

FIG. 4A shows an example topology 400 a of a source device communicatingwith two sink devices. The source device, or electronic device 402 a,can be implemented to communicate wirelessly with two sink devices, ortwo earbuds 412 a, 414 a. In some implementations, the electronic device402 a can broadcast an audio data stream over Bluetooth to be receivedby the earbuds 412 a, 414 a. The broadcasted audio data stream caninclude stereo audio data for both the earbud 412 a and the earbud 414a. The stereo audio data can, for example, include left and rightchannel audio signals intended for the respective earbuds 412 a, 414 a.In a good transmission environment, the stereo audio data can bereceived by both the earbuds 412 a, 414 a over the Bluetoothcommunication links 422 a, 424 a, respectively.

If an interruption, or interference, occurs on either of the Bluetoothcommunication links 422 a, 424 a, the earbuds 412 a, 414 a can beimplemented to forward the intended stereo audio data to the otherearbud using a secondary communication link, such as a Bluetooth radiocommunication link.

In some implementations, the stereo audio data can be forwarded over aBluetooth secondary communication link to the other earbudautomatically. For example, upon receiving the broadcasted stereo audiodata for both earbud 412 a and earbud 414 a, the earbud 412 a can beimplemented to forward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio dataintended for earbud 414 a over the Bluetooth secondary communicationlink 434 a. Similarly, upon receiving the broadcasted stereo audio datafor both earbud 412 a and earbud 414 a, the earbud 414 a can beimplemented to forward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio dataintended for earbud 412 a over the Bluetooth secondary communicationlink 432 a. This forwarding implementation ensures that the earbuds 412a, 414 a receive the stereo audio data even if the broadcasted audiodata stream over the Bluetooth communication links 422 a, 424 a isinterrupted or broken.

In some other implementations, the stereo audio data can be forwardedover a Bluetooth secondary communication link upon receiving aforwarding request over a Bluetooth secondary communication link fromthe other earbud. For example, upon receiving the broadcasted stereoaudio data for both earbud 412 a and earbud 414 a, the earbud 412 a canbe implemented to forward, or otherwise relay, the stereo audio dataintended for earbud 414 a over the Bluetooth secondary communicationlink 434 a only upon receiving a forwarding request from the earbud 414a over the Bluetooth secondary communication link 432 a. Similarly, uponreceiving the broadcasted stereo audio data for both earbud 412 a andearbud 414 a, the earbud 414 a can be implemented to forward, orotherwise relay, the stereo audio data intended for earbud 412 a overthe Bluetooth secondary communication link 432 a only upon receiving aforwarding request from the earbud 412 a over the Bluetooth secondarycommunication link 434 a.

While the Bluetooth secondary communication link implementations mayinclude added complexity, such as ensuring that the Bluetooth antennasin each of the earbuds 412 a, 414 a are aligned appropriately, such aspointing down, or down and across, to maintain a connection, which canbe challenging in smaller design configurations, the implementations arecertainly feasible in larger design configurations. Additionally, theBluetooth radios associated with each of the earbuds 412 a, 414 a mayneed to implement time-domain multiplexing in order to transmit andreceive data on the Bluetooth communication links 422 a, 424 a, as wellas on the Bluetooth secondary communication links 432 a, 434 a,respectively. This may result in additional congestion over the radiolink, and may limit the maximum data rates that can be supported in suchimplementations. Furthermore, power consumption at the earbuds 412 a,414 a may be higher in the Bluetooth secondary communication linkimplementations as compared to the magnetic communication linkimplementations, as described in FIGS. 3A-3C, which may adversely impactthe battery life of the earbuds 412 a, 414 a. Despite some of thesepotential drawbacks, the Bluetooth secondary communication linkimplementations have the advantage that only a single Bluetooth radioand antenna is required for each of the earbuds 412 a, 414 a, tocommunicate over the Bluetooth communication links 422 a, 424 a and theBluetooth secondary communication links 432 a, 434 a. Comparatively, inthe magnetic communication link implementations, as described in FIGS.3A-3C, the earbuds 312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b, 312 c, 314 c require aBluetooth radio and antenna, in addition to a magnetic communicationradio and antenna, to communicate over the Bluetooth communication links322 a, 324 a, 322 b, 324 b, 322 c, 324 c and the magnetic communicationlinks 332 a, 334 a, 332 b, 334 b, 332 c, 334 c, respectively.

In some other implementations, such as in a true wireless stereo (TWS)implementation, the electronic device 402 a can establish a separatedata transfer with each of the earbuds 412 a, 414 a. In such animplementation, the electronic device 402 a can connect with the earbuds412 a, 414 a over two separate Bluetooth communication links 422 a, 424a, respectively, where, for example, left channel audio data istransmitted to the earbud 412 a and right channel audio data istransmitted to the earbud 414 a. The earbuds 412 a, 414 a can beimplemented to establish a secondary connection amongst themselves overthe Bluetooth secondary communication links 432 a, 434 a.

In anticipation of interruption or interference on the Bluetoothcommunication links 422 a, 424 a, or simply to know what data is beingsent to the earbud 414 a, the earbud 412 a can be implemented topassively listen in, monitor, eavesdrop, or otherwise sniff the rightchannel audio data being transmitted over the Bluetooth communicationlink 424 a to the earbud 414 a. The earbud 412 a can be implemented tosniff the right channel audio data upon gaining access to the link keyand hopping sequence associated with the Bluetooth communication link424 a. In some implementations, the earbud 412 a can receive the linkkey from the earbud 414 a upon establishing the Bluetooth secondarycommunication link 432 a with the earbud 414 a. In some implementations,the earbud 412 a also can receive the hopping sequence from the earbud414 a upon establishing the Bluetooth secondary communication link 432 awith the earbud 414 a. Since the link key and hopping sequence areexchanged between the earbuds 412 a, 414 a and without involving theelectronic device 402 a, the earbuds as disclosed herein are compatiblewith legacy electronic devices. In other words, the electronic device402 a does not require a hardware, software or firmware update toutilize earbuds including the innovative aspects as described in thisdisclosure.

In some TWS implementations, such as where one earbud is unable topassively listen in on the audio data stream transmitted to the otherearbud, the earbuds 412 a, 414 a can be implemented to automaticallyforward, or otherwise relay, received audio data to the other earbudover the Bluetooth secondary communication links 432 a, 434 a. In someother TWS implementations, again where one earbud is unable to passivelylisten in on the audio data stream transmitted to the other earbud, theearbuds 412 a, 414 a can be implemented to forward, or otherwise relay,received audio data to the other earbud upon request over the Bluetoothsecondary communication links 432 a, 434 a.

FIG. 4B shows an example topology 400 b of a source device communicatingwith a first sink device. In the depicted example, the source device, orthe electronic device 402 b, is connected to the first sink device, orthe earbud 412 b, over the Bluetooth communication link 422 b. TheBluetooth communication link 424 b between the electronic device 402 band the second sink device, or the earbud 414 b, is blocked. Theblocking may be due to interference or other degradation of theBluetooth communication link 424 b. In some implementations, theblocking may prevent the earbud 414 b from passively listening in on theBluetooth communication link 422 b, and therefore the earbud 414 b maynot receive its intended right channel audio data from the electronicdevice 402 b.

In such implementations, the earbud 414 b can detect that the Bluetoothcommunication link 424 b is blocked. The earbud 414 b can be implementedto initiate a forwarding request over the Bluetooth secondarycommunication link 432 b to the earbud 412 b requesting the rightchannel audio data intended for the earbud 414 b. Upon receipt of theforwarding request, the earbud 412 b can forward, or otherwise relay,the right channel audio data intended for the earbud 414 b over theBluetooth secondary communication link 434 b. In this implementation,since the earbud 414 b itself detects the Bluetooth communication link424 b blockage, and requests its intended audio data using the Bluetoothsecondary communication link 432 b, neither the earbud 412 b, nor theelectronic device 402 b need to change their configured behaviors. Inother words, the electronic device 402 b does not require a hardware,software or firmware update to operate with earbuds including theinnovative Bluetooth secondary communication aspects as described inthis disclosure.

In other such implementations, the earbud 412 b can passively listen inon the attempted connection between the electronic device 402 b and theearbud 414 b, and detect that the Bluetooth communication link 424 b isblocked. The earbud 412 b can be implemented to monitor, eavesdrop, orotherwise sniff the right channel audio data intended for the earbud 414b. The earbud 412 b also can be implemented to automatically forward theright channel audio data intended for the earbud 414 b over theBluetooth secondary communication link 434 b.

In either implementation, the earbud 414 b can obtain the intended audiodata, as well as control data, via the secondary connection over theBluetooth secondary communication link 434 b, despite the Bluetoothcommunication link 424 b being unavailable.

FIG. 4C shows an example topology 400 c of a source device communicatingwith a second sink device. In the depicted example, the source device,or the electronic device 402 c, is connected to the second sink device,or the earbud 414 c, over the Bluetooth communication link 424 c. TheBluetooth communication link 422 c between the electronic device 402 cand the first sink device, or the earbud 412 c, is blocked. The blockingmay be due to interference or other degradation of the Bluetoothcommunication link 422 c. In some implementations, the blocking mayprevent the earbud 412 c from passively listening in on the Bluetoothcommunication link 424 c, and therefore the earbud 412 c may not receiveits intended left channel audio data from the electronic device 402 c.

In such implementations, the earbud 412 c can detect that the Bluetoothcommunication link 422 c is blocked. The earbud 412 c can be implementedto initiate a forwarding request over the Bluetooth secondarycommunication link 434 c to the earbud 414 c requesting the left channelaudio data intended for the earbud 412 c. Upon receipt of the forwardingrequest, the earbud 414 c can forward, or otherwise relay, the leftchannel audio data intended for the earbud 412 c over the Bluetoothsecondary communication link 432 c. In this implementation, since theearbud 412 c itself detects the Bluetooth communication link 422 cblockage, and requests its intended audio data using the Bluetoothsecondary communication link 434 c, neither the earbud 414 c, nor theelectronic device 402 c need to change their configured behaviors. Inother words, the electronic device 402 c does not require a hardware,software or firmware update to operate with earbuds including theinnovative Bluetooth secondary communication aspects as described inthis disclosure.

In other such implementations, the earbud 414 c can passively listen inon the attempted connection between the electronic device 402 c and theearbud 412 c, and detect that the Bluetooth communication link 422 c isblocked. The earbud 414 c can be implemented to monitor, eavesdrop, orotherwise sniff the left channel audio data intended for the earbud 412c. The earbud 414 c also can be implemented to automatically forward theleft channel audio data intended for the earbud 412 c over the Bluetoothsecondary communication link 432 c.

In either implementation, the earbud 412 c can obtain the intended audiodata, as well as control data, via the secondary connection over theBluetooth secondary communication link 432 c, despite the Bluetoothcommunication link 422 c being unavailable.

FIG. 5 shows an example method 500 for communicating between a sourcedevice and a plurality of sink devices. In some implementations, theplurality of sink devices can include a plurality of available sinkdevices. The plurality of available sink devices include sink devicescapable of communicating with the source device. In someimplementations, a first sink device and a second sink device areamongst the plurality of available sink devices. The operations of themethod 500 may be implemented by the source devices, or the electronicdevices 102 a, 102 b, 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, 202 d, 302 a, 302 b, 302 c,402 a, 402 b and 402 c, and the first and second sink devices, or,respectively, the earbuds 112 a, 114 a, 112 b, 114 b, 212 a, 214 a, 212b, 214 b, 212 c, 214 c, 212 d, 214 d, 312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b, 312 c,314 c, 412 a, 414 a, 412 b, 414 b, 412 c and 414 c, depicted anddescribed in FIGS. 1A-4C, or their components as described throughout.

In some implementations, the described electronic devices 102 a, 102 b,202 a, 202 b, 202 c, 202 d, 302 a, 302 b, 302 c, 402 a, 402 b and 402 c,and the earbuds 112 a, 114 a, 112 b, 114 b, 212 a, 214 a, 212 b, 214 b,212 c, 214 c, 212 d, 214 d, 312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b, 312 c, 314 c,412 a, 414 a, 412 b, 414 b, 412 c and 414 c, may execute a set of codesto control the functional elements of the respective device, or of oneor more other devices, to perform the functions described in FIG. 5.Additionally, or alternatively, the described electronic devices 102 a,102 b, 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, 202 d, 302 a, 302 b, 302 c, 402 a, 402 b and402 c, and the earbuds 112 a, 114 a, 112 b, 114 b, 212 a, 214 a, 212 b,214 b, 212 c, 214 c, 212 d, 214 d, 312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b, 312 c,314 c, 412 a, 414 a, 412 b, 414 b, 412 c and 414 c, may perform aspectsof the functions described in FIG. 5 using special-purpose hardware.

A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize thatthe nomenclature indicating a first sink device and a second sink devicecan be used interchangeably, and do not necessarily refer to aparticular one of the earbuds 112 a, 114 a, 112 b, 114 b, 212 a, 214 a,212 b, 214 b, 212 c, 214 c, 212 d, 214 d, 312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b,312 c, 314 c, 412 a, 414 a, 412 b, 414 b, 412 c and 414 c, as describedthroughout this disclosure. In some implementations, the first sinkdevice is intended to indicate that amongst a pair, a group, or aplurality, of sink devices, the source device first established awireless connection, or wireless data transfer session, with the firstsink device. As a corollary, the second sink device is intended toindicate that amongst a pair, a group, or a plurality, of sink devices,the source device secondly established a wireless connection, orwireless data transfer session, with the second sink device.

At block 502, a wireless connection, or wireless data transfer, betweena source device and a first sink device can be established. The firstsink device can be dynamically selected from the plurality of sinkdevices. As described above, the first sink device and second sinkdevice nomenclature can be used interchangeably. In other words, thedynamic selection of the first sink device from the plurality of sinkdevices means that a sink device was dynamically selected for wirelessdata transfer, and that sink device is now called the first sink device.The wireless data transfer, can be established over any suitablecommunication network described throughout this disclosure. In onenon-limiting example, the wireless data transfer can be establishedusing the Bluetooth communication protocol. In some implementations, thewireless data transfer, can be established after determining that thefirst sink device is in closer proximity to the source device than thesecond sink device. For example, the source device can be implemented todetermine the relative distance between itself and the first sink deviceand the relative distance between itself and the second sink device, todynamically select the sink device that is more proximate to the sourcedevice, and to establish a wireless data transfer with that sink device.Additionally, or alternatively, the sink devices can be implemented todetermine the relative distances to the source device, to dynamicallyselect whichever sink device is more proximate to the source device, andestablish a wireless data transfer session. The term “determining”encompasses a wide variety of actions and, therefore, “determining” caninclude calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating,looking up (such as via looking up in a table, a database or anotherdata structure), ascertaining and the like. Also, “determining” caninclude receiving (such as receiving information), accessing (such asaccessing data in a memory) and the like. Also, “determining” caninclude resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing and other suchsimilar actions.

In some other implementations, the wireless data transfer can beestablished after determining that radio channel conditions between thesource device and the first sink device are more favorable than radiochannel conditions between the source device and the second sink device.For example, the source device can be implemented to determine if theradio channel conditions associated with the wireless data transfer withthe first sink device are of higher quality, have a higher RSSI value,or experiencing less interference or attenuation, than the radio channelconditions associated with the wireless data transfer with the secondsink device. In some implementations, the source device only may be ableto communicate with the first sink device due to blockage, or otherinterference, causing disruption on the radio channel between the sourcedevice and the second sink device. Additionally, or alternatively, thesink devices can be implemented to determine which radio channelconditions are more favorable for establishing a wireless data transferwith the source device.

At block 504, audio data from the source device can be received at thefirst sink device. In some implementations, the first sink device can beimplemented to process the audio data. The audio data can include firstdata intended for the first sink device, and second data intended forthe second sink device. For example, the first data can include leftchannel audio data intended for the first sink device, and the seconddata can include right channel audio data intended for the second sinkdevice, or vice versa, depending on the left and right orientation ofthe first and second sink devices. In some implementations, control datacan be received at the first sink device in addition to the audio data.

In some implementations, the audio data can be received by the firstsink device over a broadcasted transmission from the source device.Given the nature of broadcasted transmissions, in some implementations,the audio data also can be received by the second sink device.Additionally, or alternatively, other sinks may be implemented toreceive the audio data over a broadcasted transmission from the sourcedevice. For example, any sink device within range of the broadcastedtransmission may be able to receive the audio data from the sourcedevice.

In some implementations, the audio data from the source device can bereceived by the first sink device over a single wireless communicationlink sent solely to the first sink device. The audio data transmittedover the single wireless communication link sent solely to the firstsink device can include stereo audio data intended for both the firstsink device and the second sink device. In such implementations, thesource device, or the first or second sink devices, may have determinedthat radio channel conditions associated with the wireless data transferto the first sink device are more favorable as compared to the radiochannel conditions associated with the wireless data transfer to thesecond sink device. Additionally, or alternatively, the source devicemay have determined that a wireless data transfer to the first sinkdevice is the only wireless data transfer available, and thereforetransmitted the stereo audio data intended for both the first sinkdevice and the second sink device over the single wireless communicationlink solely to the first sink device.

In some other implementations, the source device can transmit the audiodata over two separate wireless communication links, with the first sinkdevice receiving the audio data over a first wireless communicationlink, and the second sink device receiving the audio data over a secondwireless communication link. The audio data transmitted by the sourcedevice over the two separate wireless communication links can includestereo audio data. The stereo audio data can include first data intendedfor the first sink device, and second data intended for the second sinkdevice.

In some implementations, while the first sink device receives audio datafrom the source device, the second sink device can be configured topassively listen in on the wireless data transfer between the sourcedevice and the first sink device. For example, while the source deviceis transmitting stereo audio data to the first sink device, the secondsink device can passively listen, monitor, eavesdrop, or otherwise sniffthe stereo audio data transmission in an attempt to detect the stereoaudio data intended for the second sink device, such as the rightchannel audio data. Upon detecting the stereo audio data intended foritself, the second sink device can be implemented to receive packetsassociated with the right channel audio data.

At block 506, the second data can be sent from the first sink device tothe second sink device. In some implementations, the first device cansend the second data to the second sink device over a magneticcommunication link. For example, the first device can send the seconddata over an NFC, NULEF or NFMI communication link to the second sinkdevice. In some other implementations, the first device can send thesecond data to the second sink device over a Bluetooth communicationlink.

In either implementation, the first device can send the second data tothe second sink device automatically. For example, upon receiving theaudio data, and optionally processing the audio data to determine thefirst data intended for the first sink device and the second dataintended for the second sink device, the first sink device can beimplemented to automatically transmit, forward, or otherwise relay thesecond data to the second sink device. Alternatively, in eitherimplementation, the first device can send the second data to the secondsink device in response to a request from the second sink device. Forexample, upon receiving the audio data, and optionally processing theaudio data, the first sink device can be implemented to wait, or delaysending the second data until receiving a request from the second sinkdevice to transmit, forward, or otherwise relay the second data to thesecond sink device.

While the example method 500 in FIG. 5 includes three discrete blocks, aperson having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize thatother blocks can be inserted between the depicted blocks. Additionally,other blocks may be performed before or after certain depicted blocks.

FIG. 6 shows an example source device 600. The source device 600 isrepresentative of a wide variety of electronic devices as describedthroughout, including and not limited to the electronic devices 102 a,102 b, 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, 202 d, 302 a, 302 b, 302 c, 402 a, 402 b and402 c, depicted in FIGS. 1A-4C.

The source device 600 can include a processor 610, a memory 620, atleast one transceiver 630 (i.e., a transmitter and a receiver), and atleast one antenna 640. The source device 600 also can include one ormore sensors 650, a display 660, a user interface (UI) 670 (such as akeypad, touchscreen, voice or gesture interface), a microphone 680(representative of a microphone and a speaker) and a camera 690.Although not depicted, the source device 600 can include one or morenetwork interfaces, such as a wireless network interface (like acellular interface, a Wi-Fi, or other WLAN interface, a Bluetooth®interface, a BLE interface, a WiMAX interface, a ZigBee® interface, aWireless USB interface, etc.) or a wired network interface (like as apowerline communication interface, an Ethernet interface, etc.). In someimplementations, the source device 600 may support multiple networkinterfaces, each of which may be configured to couple the source device600 to a different communication network. Each of the components (or“modules”) described with reference to FIG. 6 can communicate with oneanother, directly or indirectly, over at least one bus 605. The bus 605may include a power bus, a control signal bus, a status signal bus, adata bus, etc. Example buses 605 can include PCI, ISA, PCI-Express,HyperTransport®, InfiniBand®, NuBus, AHB, AXI, etc.

The processor 610 may be a general-purpose single- or multi-chipmicroprocessor (such as an Advanced RISC (Reduced Instruction SetComputer) Machine (ARM)), a special purpose microprocessor (such as adigital signal processor (DSP)), a microcontroller, a programmable gatearray (such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), a shiftregister, etc. The processor 610 may be referred to as a centralprocessing unit (CPU). Although just a single processor 610 is depictedin the source device 600 of FIG. 6, in alternative implementations, acombination of processors (such as an ARM and DSP) including multipleprocessors, multiple cores, multiple nodes, or implementingmulti-threading, etc., can be used.

The source device 600 also includes memory 620 in electroniccommunication with the processor 610 (i.e., the processor can readinformation from and write information to the memory 620). Memory 620can be deemed to be in electronic communication with the processor 610if the processor 610 can read information from or write information tothe memory 620. The memory 620 may be any electronic component capableof storing electronic information. The memory 620 may be configured asrandom-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatilerandom-access memory (NVRAM), magnetic disk storage media, opticalstorage media, flash memory devices in RAM, on-board memory includedwith the processor, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registersand so forth, including combinations thereof.

Data 622 and instructions 624 may be stored in the memory 620. Theinstructions may include one or more programs, routines, sub-routines,functions, procedures, code, etc. The instructions may include a singlecomputer-readable statement or many computer-readable statements. Theinstructions 624 may be executable by the processor 610 to implement themethods disclosed herein. Executing the instructions 624 may involve theuse of the data 622 that is stored in the memory 620. When the processor610 executes the instructions 624, various portions of the instructions614 may be loaded onto the processor 610, and various pieces of data 612may be loaded onto the processor 610.

The memory 620 also can store processor- or computer-executable softwarecode containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor610 to perform various functions described herein for magneticcommunication, including reception of a signal, and generation andtransmission of an appropriate response signal.

The processor 610 processes information received through the transceiver630 as well as information to be sent to the transceiver 630 fortransmission through the antenna 640. Additionally, the processor 610can process information received through one or more sensors 650 as wellas information to be presented by the display 660.

In some implementations, the transceiver 630 can be implemented as botha transmitter and a receiver, and can modulate data and provide themodulated data to the antenna 640 for transmission, as well as todemodulate data received from the antenna 640. In some suchimplementations, the transceiver 630 can be implemented as at least oneRF transmitter and at least one separate RF receiver. The transceiver630 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or more antennas, wired,or wireless communication links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 630 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicatebi-directionally with another wireless transceiver, such as a wirelesstransceiver associated with the sink devices, or the earbuds 112 a, 114a, 112 b, 114 b, 212 a, 214 a, 212 b, 214 b, 212 c, 214 c, 212 d, 214 d,312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b, 312 c, 314 c, 412 a, 414 a, 412 b, 414 b,412 c and 414 c, depicted in FIGS. 1A-4C. The transceiver 630 also mayinclude a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulatedpackets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulate packetsreceived from the antennas.

The display 660 can be implemented from any suitable display technology.For example, the display 660 can be implemented from a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), an e-ink display, a digital microshutter (DMS) display,or an interferometric modulator (IMOD) display. Additionally, thedisplay 660 can be implemented as a flat-panel display, such as plasma,electroluminescent (EL) displays, organic light emitting diode (OLED)display, super twisted nematic (STN) display, or thin-film transistor(TFT) LCD, or a non-flat-panel display, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT)or other tube device. The microphone 680 and the camera 690 allow thesource device 600 to be suitable for engaging in voice and videocommunications.

FIG. 7 shows example components that may be included within a sinkdevice 700. The sink device 700 is representative of a wide variety ofelectronic devices as described throughout, including and not limited tothe earbuds 112 a, 114 a, 112 b, 114 b, 212 a, 214 a, 212 b, 214 b, 212c, 214 c, 212 d, 214 d, 312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b, 312 c, 314 c, 412 a,414 a, 412 b, 414 b, 412 c and 414 c, described with reference to FIGS.1A-4C.

The sink device 700 includes a processor 703. The processor 703 may be ageneral-purpose single- or multi-chip microprocessor (such as anAdvanced RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) Machine (ARM)), aspecial purpose microprocessor (such as a digital signal processor(DSP)), a microcontroller, a programmable gate array (such as a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA)), a shift register, etc. The processor703 may be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). Although justa single processor 703 is depicted in the sink device 700 of FIG. 7, inalternative implementations, a combination of processors (such as an ARMand DSP) including multiple processors, multiple cores, multiple nodes,or implementing multi-threading, etc., can be used.

The sink device 700 also includes memory 705 in electronic communicationwith the processor 703 (i.e., the processor can read information fromand write information to the memory 705). The memory 705 can be deemedto be in electronic communication with the processor 703 if theprocessor 703 can read information from or write information to thememory 705. The memory 705 may be any electronic component capable ofstoring electronic information. The memory 705 may be configured asrandom-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatilerandom-access memory (NVRAM), magnetic disk storage media, opticalstorage media, flash memory devices in RAM, on-board memory includedwith the processor, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registersand so forth, including combinations thereof.

Data 707 a and instructions 709 a may be stored in the memory 705. Theinstructions may include one or more programs, routines, sub-routines,functions, procedures, code, etc. The instructions may include a singlecomputer-readable statement or many computer-readable statements. Theinstructions 709 a may be executable by the processor 703 to implementthe methods disclosed herein. Executing the instructions 709 a mayinvolve the use of the data 707 a that is stored in the memory 705. Whenthe processor 703 executes the instructions 709, various portions of theinstructions 709 b may be loaded onto the processor 703, and variouspieces of data 707 b may be loaded onto the processor 703.

The memory 705 also can store processor- or computer-executable softwarecode containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor703 to perform various functions described herein for magneticcommunication, including reception of a signal, and generation andtransmission of an appropriate response signal.

The sink device 700 also may include a transmitter 711 and a receiver713 to allow transmission and reception of signals to and from the sinkdevice 700 via one or more antennas 717. The transmitter 711 andreceiver 713 may be collectively referred to as a transceiver 715. Thetransceiver 715 also may include a modem to modulate the packets andprovide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and todemodulate packets received from the antennas. The sink device 700 alsomay include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple antennas,multiple receivers, and multiple transceivers. For example, thetransceiver 715 can be implemented as at least one RF transmitter and atleast one separate RF receiver. Alternatively, the transceiver 715 canbe implemented as at least one RF transmitter and receiver and at leastone magnetic communication-based transmitter and receiver. The processor703 processes information received through the transceiver 715 as wellas information to be sent to the transceiver 715 for transmissionthrough the antenna 717.

The transceiver 715 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, wireless, or magnetic communication links as describedabove. For example, the transceiver 715 may represent a wirelesstransceiver in a first sink device and may communicate with anotherwireless transceiver in a second sink device, such as the wirelesstransceivers associated with the earbuds 112 a, 114 a, 112 b, 114 b, 212a, 214 a, 212 b, 214 b, 212 c, 214 c, 212 d, 214 d, 312 a, 314 a, 312 b,314 b, 312 c, 314 c, 412 a, 414 a, 412 b, 414 b, 412 c and 414 c,described with reference to FIGS. 1A-4C. Alternatively, the transceiver715 may represent a magnetic communication-based transceiver in a firstsink device and may communicate with another magneticcommunication-based transceiver in a second sink device, such as themagnetic communication-based transceivers associated with the earbuds112 a, 114 a, 112 b, 114 b, 212 a, 214 a, 212 b, 214 b, 212 c, 214 c,212 d, 214 d, 312 a, 314 a, 312 b, 314 b, 312 c, 314 c, 412 a, 414 a,412 b, 414 b, 412 c and 414 c, described with reference to FIGS. 1A-4C.

The sink device 700 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) 721.The sink device 700 also may include a communications interface 723. Thecommunications interface 723 can be implemented as a user interface (UI)(such as a keypad, touchscreen, voice or gesture interface), and mayallow a user to interact with the sink device 700. The sink device 700also may include a microphone 725 (representative of a microphone and aspeaker) for playing audio data.

The various components of the sink device 700 may be coupled together byone or more buses, which may include a power bus, a control signal bus,a status signal bus, a data bus, etc. For the sake of clarity, thevarious buses are illustrated in FIG. 7 as a bus system 719.

As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of itemsrefers to any combination of those items, including single members. Asan example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c,a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits andalgorithm processes described in connection with the implementationsdisclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computersoftware, or combinations of both. The interchangeability of hardwareand software has been described generally, in terms of functionality,and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits and processes described throughout. Whether such functionalityis implemented in hardware or software depends upon the particularapplication and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Aperson having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that variousaspects also can be described as functional equivalents to thestructures, materials or devices disclosed herein.

The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the variousillustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described inconnection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or otherprogrammable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discretehardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform thefunctions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be amicroprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implementedas a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSPand a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. In some implementations, particular processes and methodsmay be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware,including the structures disclosed in this specification and theirstructural equivalents thereof, or in any combination thereof.Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationalso can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one ormore modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computerstorage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, dataprocessing apparatus.

If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. The processes of a method or algorithmdisclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable softwaremodule which may reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readablemedia includes both computer storage media and communication mediaincluding any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer programfrom one place to another. A storage media may be any available mediathat may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to storedesired program code in the form of instructions or data structures andthat may be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection can be properlytermed a computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method oralgorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes andinstructions on a machine readable medium and computer-readable medium,which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

Various modifications to the implementations described in thisdisclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and thegeneric principles defined herein may be applied to otherimplementations without departing from the spirit or scope of thisdisclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theimplementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel featuresdisclosed herein.

Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readilyappreciate, the terms “upper” and “lower” are sometimes used for ease ofdescribing the figures, and indicate relative positions corresponding tothe orientation of the figure on a properly oriented page, and may notreflect the proper orientation of any device as implemented.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in asingle implementation. Conversely, various features that are describedin the context of a single implementation also can be implemented inmultiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination.Moreover, although features may be described as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. Further, the drawings may schematically depict one more exampleprocesses in the form of a flow diagram. However, other operations thatare not depicted can be incorporated in the example processes that areschematically illustrated. For example, one or more additionaloperations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or betweenany of the illustrated operations. In certain circumstances,multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, theseparation of various system components in the implementations describedshould not be understood as requiring such separation in allimplementations, and it should be understood that the described programcomponents and systems can generally be integrated together in a singlesoftware product or packaged into multiple software products.Additionally, other implementations are within the scope of thefollowing claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims canbe performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for communicating between a sourcedevice and a plurality of sink devices, comprising: establishing awireless data transfer between the source device and a first sinkdevice, wherein the first sink device is dynamically selected from theplurality of sink devices; receiving, at the first sink device, audiodata from the source device, wherein the audio data includes first dataintended for the first sink device, and second data intended for asecond sink device; and sending, from the first sink device, the seconddata to the second sink device.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinsending the second data to the second sink device occurs over a magneticcommunication link.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the magneticcommunication link is one of a near ultra-low energy field (NULEF)communication link or near field magnetic induction (NFMI) communicationlink.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the second data to thesecond sink device occurs over a Bluetooth communication link.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein sending the second data to the second sinkdevice occurs automatically.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein sendingthe second data to the second sink device is in response to a requestfrom the second sink device.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereindynamically selecting the first sink device from the plurality of sinkdevices further comprises: determining that the first sink device ismore proximate to the source device than the second sink device.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein dynamically selecting the first sink devicefrom the plurality of sink devices further comprises: determining thatradio channel conditions between the source device and the first sinkdevice are more favorable than other radio channel conditions betweenthe source device and the second sink device.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein, while the first sink device receives the audio data from thesource device, the second sink device passively listens in on thewireless data transfer between the source device and the first sinkdevice.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: establishing awireless data transfer between the second sink device and the sourcedevice; receiving, at the second sink device, the audio data from thesource device, wherein the audio data includes the first data intendedfor the first sink device, and the second data intended for the secondsink device; and sending, from the second sink device, the first data tothe first sink device.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein, while thesecond sink device receives the audio data from the source device, thefirst sink device passively listens in on the wireless data transferbetween the source device and the second sink device.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein: the source device is one of a smartphone, a mobiledevice, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a wearable device, anInternet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device,an IoT hub, or an IoE hub; and the first sink device and the second sinkdevice are earbuds.
 13. A first sink device, of a plurality of sinkdevices, in wireless communication with a source device, comprising: aprocessor; memory in electronic communication with the processor; andinstructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by theprocessor, to cause the first sink device to: establish a wireless datatransfer session with the source device, wherein the first sink deviceis dynamically selected from the plurality of sink devices; receiveaudio data from the source device, wherein the audio data includes firstdata intended for the first sink device, and second data intended for asecond sink device of the plurality of sink devices; and send the seconddata to the second sink device.
 14. The first sink device of claim 13,wherein sending the second data to the second sink device occurs over amagnetic communication link.
 15. The first sink device of claim 14,wherein the magnetic communication link is one of a near ultra-lowenergy field (NULEF) communication link or near field magnetic induction(NFMI) communication link.
 16. The first sink device of claim 13,wherein sending the second data to the second sink device occurs over aBluetooth communication link.
 17. The first sink device of claim 13,wherein sending the second data to the second sink device occursautomatically.
 18. The first sink device of claim 13, wherein sendingthe second data to the second sink device is in response to a requestfrom the second sink device.
 19. The first sink device of claim 13,wherein dynamically selecting the first sink device from the pluralityof sink devices further comprises: determining that the first sinkdevice is more proximate to the source device than the second sinkdevice.
 20. The first sink device of claim 13, wherein dynamicallyselecting the first sink device from the plurality of sink devicesfurther comprises: determining that radio channel conditions between thesource device and the first sink device are more favorable than otherradio channel conditions between the source device and the second sinkdevice.
 21. The first sink device of claim 13, wherein, while the firstsink device receives the audio data from the source device, the secondsink device passively listens in on the wireless data transfer betweenthe source device and the first sink device.
 22. The first sink deviceof claim 13, further comprising: monitoring a wireless data transfersession between the second sink device and the source device, whereinthe audio data including the first data intended for the first sinkdevice, and the second data intended for the second sink device, isreceived by the second sink device; and receiving the first data fromthe second sink device.
 23. The first sink device of claim 22, whereinreceiving the first data from the second sink device occurs over one ofa magnetic communication link, or a Bluetooth communication link.
 24. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executableprogram code configured to cause a processor of a first sink device to:establish a wireless data transfer between a source device and the firstsink device, wherein the first sink device is dynamically selected froma plurality of sink devices; receive audio data from the source device,wherein the audio data includes first data intended for the first sinkdevice, and second data intended for a second sink device; and send thesecond data to the second sink device.
 25. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein sending the second data tothe second sink device occurs over a magnetic communication link. 26.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein themagnetic communication link is one of a near ultra-low energy field(NULEF) communication link or near field magnetic induction (NFMI)communication link.
 27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 24, wherein sending the second data to the second sink deviceoccurs over a Bluetooth communication link.
 28. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein sending the second data tothe second sink device occurs automatically.
 29. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein sending the second data tothe second sink device is in response to a request from the second sinkdevice.
 30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24,wherein the processor is further capable of executingprocessor-executable program code to cause the first sink device to:monitor a wireless data transfer session between the second sink deviceand the source device, wherein the audio data including the first dataintended for the first sink device, and the second data intended for thesecond sink device, is received by the second sink device; and receivethe first data from the second sink device.